Description: Maj. Gen. A.J. Smith, commanding a combined force of more
than 14,000 men, left LaGrange, Tennessee, on July 5, 1864, and advanced
south. Smith’s mission was to insure that Maj. Gen. Nathan B. Forrest and
his cavalry did not raid Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s railroad lifeline
in Middle Tennessee and, thereby, prevent supplies from reaching him in
his campaign against Atlanta. Laying waste to the countryside as he advanced,
Smith reached Pontotoc, Mississippi, on July 11. Forrest was in nearby
Okolona with about 6,000 men, but his commander, Lt. Gen. Stephen D. Lee,
told him he could not attack until he was reinforced. Two days later, Smith,
fearing an ambush, moved east toward Tupelo. On the previous day, Lee arrived
near Pontotoc with 2,000 additional men and, under his command, the entire
Confederate force engaged Smith. Within two miles of the Federals, on the
night of the 13th, Lee ordered an attack for the next morning. Lee attacked
at 7:30 am the next morning in a number of uncoordinated assaults which
the Yankees beat back, causing heavy casualties. Lee halted the fighting
after a few hours. Short on rations, Smith did not pursue but started back
to Memphis on the 15th. Criticized for not destroying Forrest’s command,
Smith had caused much damage and had fulfilled his mission of insuring
Sherman’s supply lines.